State & Local
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October 07, 2024
Justices Won't Hear Construction Co.'s SD Use Tax Appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a construction company's argument that South Dakota's refusal to apportion use tax on its equipment based on the number of days it was used in the state was unconstitutional.
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October 07, 2024
High Court Won't Look At Texas Tax Foreclosure Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review a Texas high court ruling that upended an oil company's victory over litigants challenging the tax foreclosure sale of mineral interests.
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October 04, 2024
NH Revenue Through Sept. Misses Estimate By $20M
New Hampshire total receipts from July through September fell short of a forecast by $20 million, according to a report by the state Department of Administrative Services.
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October 04, 2024
Pa. Church Denied Retroactive Appeal Of Assessment
A Pennsylvania church was the one at fault for the delay in its property tax appeal and therefore isn't eligible to bring the appeal retroactively, the state Commonwealth Court ruled Friday.
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October 04, 2024
W.Va. Revenue Through Sept. Beats Forecast By $1.2M
West Virginia general revenue from July through September surpassed an estimate by $1.2 million, the state Budget Office reported.
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October 04, 2024
Ala. Net Tax Collections Increased $306M In Fiscal Year 2024
Alabama general revenue from October 2023 through September was $306 million higher than during the 2023 fiscal year, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue.
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October 04, 2024
Justices Accept Ex-Chicago Alderman's False Statement Case
The U.S. Supreme Court said Friday that it would review the conviction of an ex-Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella PC attorney and former Chicago alderman under a federal statute that prohibits making false statements to influence certain financial institutions.
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October 04, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Gibson Dunn, Weil, Simpson
In this week's Taxation with Representation, DirectTV buys EchoStar's video business for $10 billion, Marsh McLennan inks a $7.75 billion deal for McGriff Insurance, and PepsiCo closes a $1.2 billion deal to purchase Siete Foods.
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October 04, 2024
Ore. Court Reverses Transfer Of Pot Facility's Tax Account
A property tax account for the interior improvements in an Oregon warehouse leased to a marijuana grower was improperly reassigned from the grower to the warehouse owner, the state's tax court said, reversing a change made by a local assessor.
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October 04, 2024
Ga. Tax Deadlines Extended To May After Hurricane Helene
Certain state tax return and payment deadlines in Georgia are being postponed to May 1 in response to the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, the state's Department of Revenue has said.
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October 03, 2024
Counties Say Foreclosure Attys Trying To Quash Competition
Michigan counties facing a proposed class action over profits they kept from foreclosures of tax-delinquent properties questioned Wednesday the aim and legality of their opposing counsel's quest to rein in a previous rival's outreach to people who have experienced foreclosures.
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October 03, 2024
12 Lawyers Who Are The Future Of The Supreme Court Bar
One attorney hasn't lost a single U.S. Supreme Court case she's argued, or even a single justice's vote. One attorney is perhaps "the preeminent SCOTUS advocate." And one may soon become U.S. solicitor general, despite acknowledging there are "judges out there who don't like me." All three are among a dozen lawyers in the vanguard of the Supreme Court bar's next generation, poised to follow in the footsteps of the bar's current icons.
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October 03, 2024
SC Supreme Court Will Review Amazon Sales Tax Case
South Carolina's highest court said Thursday it will review an appeals court opinion holding Amazon was required to collect and remit sales tax on products sold on its marketplace in 2016, before the landmark Wayfair decision, and owes the state $12.5 million in tax.
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October 03, 2024
Ind. Food Truck Owes 11 Years Of Unpaid Taxes, Dept. Says
An Indiana-based food truck owes $240,000 in unpaid sales tax and food and beverage tax over the past 11 years, the Department of State Revenue said.
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October 03, 2024
Indiana Says Audit Overstated Biz's Sales Tax Assessment
An Indiana business was able to provide receipts, invoices and exemption certificates that proved that an audit assessment for sales tax by the Department of State Revenue was overstated, according to the department in a letter of findings.
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October 03, 2024
Ind. Co. Doesn't Owe Tax On Canceled Order, Dept. Says
An Indiana company was able to prove that merchandise it purchased from an out-of-state seller was canceled before it arrived and that it doesn't owe use tax on the transaction, the Department of State Revenue said in a letter of findings.
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October 03, 2024
Nev. July Sales Tax Revenue Drops 2.6% From Last Year
Nevada's sales tax collection in July trailed last year's total for that month by 2.6%, the state Department of Taxation reported.
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October 03, 2024
NJ Mogul's Brother Says Lawyering Isn't Racketeering
Parker McCay PA shareholder Philip A. Norcross is urging a New Jersey state judge to toss the sweeping indictment against him, his power broker brother and others over an alleged extortion scheme to acquire riverfront property in a distressed city, arguing that none of the targeted conduct is criminal.
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October 03, 2024
Ala. Offering Tax Extensions Following Hurricane Helene
Alabama taxpayers can ask for relief from tax filing and payment deadlines following Hurricane Helene, the state Department of Revenue announced.
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October 03, 2024
K&L Gates Boosts Houston Shop With Ernst & Young Tax Ace
K&L Gates LLP strengthened its Houston office this week with the hire of a tax partner with nearly three decades of expertise in advising multinational corporations on U.S. taxation on cross-border acquisitions and other transactions.
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October 03, 2024
Aerospace Co. Says Conn. Town Wrongly Taxed $8M In Assets
A unit of a U.K.-based aerospace manufacturer is claiming that a Connecticut town overvalued its taxable personal property by nearly $8 million after the company moved nearly $20 million worth of its property out of the jurisdiction, according to a suit filed in state court.
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October 03, 2024
Calif. Can't Delay Bank's $20.7M Tax Refund, FDIC Tells Court
A California tax collection agency shouldn't be allowed to delay a $20.7 million tax refund it owes the shuttered Signature Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. told a New York federal court, saying that as the bank's receiver, it's entitled to the money now.
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October 03, 2024
Iowa Revenue Through Sept. Up $385M From Last Year
Iowa's general revenue collection from July through September was up $385 million from the same period last year, according to the state Department of Management.
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October 03, 2024
Kansas Sept. Revenue Beats Estimates By $8.5M
Kansas' general revenue for September was $8.5 million above estimates at nearly $1.1 billion, according to the state's monthly revenue report.
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October 02, 2024
Mass. Tax Board OKs Exemption For Senior Home
A senior home on Martha's Vineyard is exempt from property taxes, a Massachusetts tax panel said in a decision released Wednesday, ruling that the owner, a charitable nonprofit, had a sufficient presence at the property for the exemption.
Expert Analysis
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Permanence And Other Elusive Notions: SALT In Review
From a Michigan income tax that may or may not be permanent to a victory in court for online travel companies, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Potential Calamities, Greatly Exaggerated: SALT In Review
From fears of judicial upheaval to a tax break for space travel, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Preparing Your Legal Department For Pillar 2 Compliance
Multinational entities should familiarize themselves with Pillar Two of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s BEPs 2.0 project and prepare their internal legal tracking systems for related reporting requirements that may go into effect as early as January, says Daniel Robyn at Ernst & Young.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.